Broken
by reggietheus
Summary: When Eddie is found helpless, the crew gathers round to help him through and figure out exactly what happened to their friend. J/E. Check it out... chapter EIGHT is up!
1. Chapter 1

Broken.

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it.

Scene One.

The whole crew was gathered at Sully's bar to celebrate just another Friday night. Beers all around, smiles cascaded across their faces, the group talked about their week. Eddie walked over to the bar to greet Janet with a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" She asked with a grin.

"Just for being you."

"Aww, that's sweet," she cooed. "But I have zero time for sweet. Now take these dishes back to Rooster, we're completely swamped tonight." She pushed some dirty plates into his hands and hurried away. Eddie shook his head with a smile and walked behind the bar. On his way out from the kitchen, Ray Cataldo swiveled in the bar stool to face Eddie.

"Work at Best Friend Windows that bad, LaTekka? You need to be a busboy on the weekend?"

"Not tonight, Big Cat."

"What? I can't talk to an old friend?"

"Oh you can talk all you want, but I'm not gonna listen. And let's get it straight, we were never friends."

"Yeah, that's what Icky said about you last week."

"Quit trying to rile me up. It's not going to happen." Eddie squeezed past him and walked back to the table where Nick was in a middle of an anecdote.

"…So the Commander slams the pitcher down and refuses to pay." The group erupted in laugher.

"Is this the Raven's Bar incident?" Eddie asks.

"The one and only." The group exchange more tales of drunken glory and then Eddie checks his watch.

"All right, guys. I'm off."

"So soon?" Owen asks. "We haven't even gotten to the knife and fork debacle of '03!"

"Another time. Nick, we have that meeting with the coffeeshop owners tomorrow, don't forget."

"Me? Forget? You're talking to Mr. Responsible, here, guy. I am a window-installing machine."

"Yeah, and you're also drunk," Eddie says as he gives his friend a jovial pat on the back.

"Ronnie, you better drive this one home tonight."

"Will do. You're cut off, mister." he jokingly points to his older brother and the group shares a laugh.

Eddie walks away from the table and gives a wave to Janet, who signals that she was too busy for a proper goodbye. Pushing the door forward, Eddie walked into the brisk night. Turning the corner he was greeted by Ray Cataldo at the entrance to the alley.

Blowing some warm air into his hands, Eddie shook his head in disbelief.

"Seriously, Big Cat? You're stalking me now? Sorry, but I don't swing that way." Eddie moved past his nemesis, but Ray grabbed Eddies shoulder and forced him around.

"What is your deal, Cataldo? Give it up, I'm not fighting you. As much as it would please me to smash your face in, it's not worth my time."

"The only face getting smashed tonight is yours, LaTekka." Suddenly three of Ray's friends appeared from the alley and stood behind their leader. The smile of annoyance disappeared from Eddie's face as he realized it was four on one with a fight being inevitable.

"You thought you'd get away with throwing a punch at my best friend? You really thought that was going to fly?"

"I don't want any trouble here, fellas."

"Wow, if that's not a line out of a 40's flick, I don't know what is. Do people really talk like that?" Ray grinned. "The fact of the matter is, you don't have a choice tonight." Eddie started to back away and put his arms up in surrender.

"Joe? Bobby?" Ray said and his lackies reacted by hurrying toward Eddie and holding his arms behind him. Ray stepped toward him with an eerie nonchalance.

"So this first one, is for my friend." Ray punches Eddie straight in the face. "And this next one? Well, it's just for fun." Another punch, this time to the gut. Eddie lets out a loud gasp, but looks up.

"You know, Big Cat? One of these days, people are going to realize what you really are. And you'll never be able to show your face in this town again." Eddie receives another jab to the eye.

"Then let's make sure that doesn't happen," he pauses and starts to walk away. "Take care of him, boys." His other friend starts toward a pinned back Eddie, but instead of throwing punches, he's wielding a crowbar.


	2. Chapter 2

Broken.

(A/N: Taking this idea from that clip from "Ask October Road" where Eddie was in a hospital gown all beat up!)

Scene Two.

By 12:30, most of the bar had cleared out and the last few customers were dwindling down to the regulars.

"Janet! You see that bag over there?" Rooster pipes up from behind the bar.

"Yeah?"

"It's not going to move itself to the dump."

"Would it kill you to just ask nicely? Do requests really need a side of sarcasm?" Rooster pauses and considers this,

"Yes. Yes they do." Janet smiles despite herself and gets the trash bag. She goes toward the back and leaves through the sidedoor the alley. She lifts the lid to the dumpster and tosses the black bag in and turns to leave but something catches her eye. She turns around to see her boyfriend laying on the ground on the other side of the alley. Her gaze of shock eventually turns to a look of horror and she runs to him.

"Eddie? Eddie! Oh my god," she kneels toward him and turns him over slightly to see his face bloody and bruised. She quickly exhales in a panic and runs back to the sidedoor.

"Call an ambulance!" She screams and hurries back out to the alley. Nick and Ronnie, along with Owen, were on their way out the front door when they heard her plea for help. Their smiles fade and they run to the back while Rooster dials 911 on the phone behind the bar.

"What happened?" Owen asks before they see their friend laying helpless on the ground below them.

"Oh god, Eddie!" Nick goes to his friend and kneels opposite Janet. "Is he breathing?" He asks no one in particular. Checking his pulse, Janet leans in to try and hear breath sounds.

"Barely."

Owen puts his hands upon his head in disbelief while Ronnie stands off to the side, pacing the alley while peering in every few seconds.

"What the hell happened? Who did this?" Nick sobers up quickly and looks to Janet for answers.

"I don't know, I don't know." She shakes her head and holds his hand, starting to cry silent tears. "It was a fight, his knuckles are bleeding." She whispered. In the distance, they can hear an ambulance ringing, getting louder with every beat.

"He's going to be all right," Nick said, mostly to himself. "He has to be, he's going to be all right." The ambulance screeches to a halt and Rooster is out front to guide them to the alley. The group stand back as the paramedics swarm their friend. They take him away on a stretcher and ask who wants to come; Nick almost motions to go along, but then gestures to Janet, who was already on her way to the back of the ambulance.

"We'll meet you at the hospital," Nick says, but Janet can barely hear him above the sound of the sirens. It speeds off and the men are left in front of the bar, with bloody hands and desperate eyes.

The front door opened ever so gently and Ray Cataldo closed it behind him in the same manner. Hannah sat on the couch like a nervous mother of a teenager past curfew. Her glare moved toward Ray as he tried to make his way silently up the stairs.

"You went to the store three hours ago." She said in a deadpan voice.

"Hannah, you're up."

"Yeah, and I've been up. Worried. About you."

"Sorry, sweetness. I ran into Matt and he needed some help with his garage door."

"At ten o'clock at night? It couldn't have waited for tomorrow?"

"Hannah Jane, what's the problem? He needed it fixed to get the car out in the morning. Why are you so mad?" He said this gently, as he sat next to his fiancé in the living room.

"I just wish you called. I tried calling like, three times."

"This damn thing," he got his cell phone out and shook his head. "Vibrate. See?" He shows her the phone quickly.

"I believe you, I just wish you were more considerate."

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"That seems to be a motto around here lately."

"Forgive me? Please? I'll take the garbage out for a week?"

"You do that anyway," she smiles and relents.

"Come on, let's go to bed." He gets up and moves toward the stairs.

"Let me just put my mug in the sink. Be right there."

Once she was in the kitchen, Hannah's cell phone rang. Her look turned to concern when she realizes it is late for phone calls. She checks the ID and is even more surprised by the caller.

"Janet?" She paused. "Calm down, where are you? I'll be right there."

When Hannah rounded the corner of the hospital waiting room, she saw a group of familiar faces lined against the wall, sitting in the uncomfortable chairs, looking shocked. She went straight to Janet and greeted her with a thoughtful "hey." Janet got up and hugged her friend,

"It was awful, Hannah." She looked at her as they sat side by side. "He was just laying there, completely helpless. He wasn't even conscious."

"How is he now?"

"We're not sure, apparently he's in surgery."

"Surgery? What for?" Hannah was taken aback.

"They said he took a blow the temple and they need to relieve some pressure, I don't know. It just doesn't sound good."

Nick came by with a cup of coffee and handed it to Janet, one for himself.

"Hey," he said, looking mostly to Hannah, surprised at her presence. "I hope black is ok, it's all they had."

"Thanks, Nick." Janet accepted the caffeine, but was too concerned to drink it.

"Are you ok?" Hannah looked to Nick.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't with him. I should have been, though."

"What do you mean?"

"We have a meeting tomorrow morning, he left the bar early to get some sleep and I should have gone with him."

"You can't blame yourself, Nick. Whatever happened, whoever did this to him—there was nothing you could have done."

"What are you saying, Hannah? That Eddie brought this on himself?" Janet accused.

"No! No, not at all. I just mean, god, I don't know what I mean. It's just good Nick wasn't there, or he could have been hurt, too."

"Or I could have helped him." Nick responded. "If he's not all right, I'll never forgive myself."

"Stop it," Owen said from the side. "He's going to pull through, so stop talking like he won't. This isn't your fault, Nicky. So everybody just stop it." Owen's words of wisdom were accepted by the group, but before anyone could respond, a doctor came into the room.

"Anyone here for… Eddie LaTekka?"

Janet, Hannah, Nick, Owen, Ronnie, and Rooster all stood.

"Any of you family?"

"We're all his family," Owen responded. "How is he?"

"He's stable, but we have him in the step-down unit at the moment."

"Step-down?" Nick asked.

"It's a step below intensive care. The surgery went well, we think. We relieved the pressure to his brain, and we stopped the internal bleeding. The only issue now is whether or not he'll wake up."

"Wait, what are you saying? Is he in some sort of coma?" Nick asked urgently. The doctor sighed.

"With the massive injuries he sustained to his head, he's facing an uphill battle. He could wake up in an hour or a week or…we just don't know. It's entirely up to him."

"Can I see him?" Janet asked. He checks his watch.

"Sure, but only for a few minutes. It's the policy to only have one person at a time. Follow me," Janet looks to the group, almost for approval.

"Go on," Nick urged.

"I'll wait for you here, Janet." Hannah said as Janet made her way through the corridor.

"Damn it," Nick exclaimed. "I can't believe this is happening."

"You heard what the doctor said, Nicky, it's up to him. How long have we known Eddie?"

"Twenty years, give or take."

"And in those twenty years, give or take, has he ever given up on a fight?" Owen asked.

"No."

"Exactly. Not once. He's a fighter. And he's going to make it through this just fine. Hell, he's probably awake right now. These doctors don't know who their dealing with here."

"Owen's right, Nick. He's going to wake up in no time," Hannah offered, giving Nick's hand a squeeze.

"I just wish I knew who did this."

"We can find out," Rooster spoke from behind the group and they turned to him.

"What do you mean?" Nick squinted.

"Remember last year, when those cars kept getting vandalized in the Ridge? Well, Sully installed some security cameras outside the bar to catch the guys. We keep them on and record 24/7."

"And if the fight happened in the alley?"

"Got it covered."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Owen starts, with Rooster and Ronnie right behind him.

"You ok alone, Hannah?" Nick asks.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You should go." Nick goes to leave, but Hannah pulls him back.

"Don't do anything stupid, Nick," he cocks his head and looks at her quizzically. "Don't go looking for a fight with these guys, whoever they are. You call the police before you take any action. Promise me, Nick."

"I promise." And with that, the men were off to Sully's.


	3. Chapter 3

Broken.

Scene Three.

The steady beep of the heart monitor actually put Janet at ease. It was constant, exactly what she needed to hear after barely hearing Eddie's heartbeat in the alley. She held his hand in the dim room, with the small amount of light highlighting Eddie's bruises and a gash across his temple. There were neat stitches across the right part of his head, where they had most likely gone in for surgery.

"I'm so sorry, Eddie," Janet sighed. "I don't know why this happened to you, but you need to get better." When she sadly realized he wouldn't respond, she continued. "I'll give you tonight to rest up, but I need you to be back with us tomorrow. I need you to be ok," she whispered. "God, look at your hands," she said, turning them over in her own and looking at his knuckles.

"What happened to you?"

At Sully's, Nick, Owen, and Ronnie stood with their arms crossed in front the bar, watching as Rooster started to rewind the tape.

"VHS? Do they even make those anymore?" Ronnie quipped.

"How else are you going to record stuff?" Rooster responded. "This may not be the most advanced of technology, but it should at least give us an answer."

As Rooster worked with the tape, Nick sighed.

"Who's going to tell Physical Phil?"

"We should both tell him," Owen said.

"He's not going to take it well."

"We can't _not_ tell him."

"What about Ikey?"

"Who cares?"

"You don't think this is bigger than all that, Owen? You'd want to know, wouldn't you? If you were in his position?"

"If I were in his position, I wouldn't have slept with my wife—wait, that sounded weird. You know what I mean."

"By tomorrow, everyone is going to know anyway," Ronnie said.

"He's right, small town, big gossip. I'd be surprised if it didn't make the paper, even."

"Got it," Rooster spoke from behind the counter. He lifted the 13-inch television set onto the bar and faced it out. He ducked under the bar and hit play.

"It's just the street," Ronnie said.

"Yeah, well, give it a minute. What did you think it'd be?"

"I don't know, at least make it move a little."

"This system cost $79.99 on eBay, kid, what do you want from me?"

"Woah, woah, guys… there's Eddie." Nick points to the screen as they all squint to see the interaction.

"Who is that?" Owen asks, "It's kind of blurry."

The men witness four figures approach Eddie and it all becomes clear to Nick.

"That's Big Cat."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, those are his friends, Matt, Joe, and Bobby."

"You're right, that's definitely them." They watched the screen, but Nick turned away just as they started to attack Eddie.

"I can't watch this, turn it off."

"How could Big Cat do this? What kind of sick man could—"

"Owen, stop." Nick voiced and Owen and the group turned around, to find Janet and Hannah standing in the doorway, looking completely shocked.

"It was Ray?" She mustered in a hoarse voice.

"Hannah…"

"I want to see it."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Nick started.

"I want to see it." She moved between the men toward the screen. "Rewind it, Rooster." He did what he was told and the image on the screen didn't lie. Janet stood behind the men, eyes cast to the ground, unable to watch. But Hannah witnessed the man she thought she loved commit an unspeakable crime. Her hand flew to her mouth and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Ok, I've seen enough." Shaking her head she moved toward the door.

"Hannah, wait."

"I need to go take care of this," she said with determination.

"You said it yourself, don't go looking for a fight."

"I'm not. I'm calling the police."


	4. Chapter 4

Broken.

Scene Four.

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The sun was just rising over Knight's Ridge when Hannah made her way to her front door. She didn't even hesitate to slam it behind her as she made her way into the house. She saw Ray, the man she thought she knew, sitting at the couch.

"What the hell, Hannah Jane? You freak out on me for not coming home on time and then you disappear for the whole night? Where've you been?"

"Get out of my house." She responded resolutely.

"What?"

"I know what you did last night. How could you do that to someone?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying! You're lying to me, Ray! Don't you recognize when you're caught? Or haven't you ever been caught before? God, I've been so blind to it all. The jig's up, I know what you really are. Now get out before--" she was interrupted by Sam, who sleepily appeared behind her.

"Mom? What's going on?"

"Sam, go back to your room and lock the door." His eyes opened wide, realizing his mother was serious.

"Why?"

"Just do it. Now." He hurried up the stairs, albeit a bit confused. Ray moved toward Hannah and she backed away.

"Is that really necessary, Hannah?"

"I mean it, get the hell out of my house."

"I really don't know what you're talking about," With that, there was a loud knock at the door.

"That'll be for you." Hannah said, staring Ray down. With another confused look, Ray goes to answer the door.

"Ray Cataldo?" Two uniformed police officers stood in the doorframe.

"What's the meaning of this?" Ray asked. "What's going on here?" He turned back to Hannah. She crossed her arms and looked disgusted, yet somehow satisfied.

"You're under arrest, under suspicion of the attempted manslaughter of Edward LaTekka. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you…"

As they led Ray away in handcuffs, Hannah watched from her porch, along with some neighbors out to get their morning paper. As he was placed in the backseat of the police car, he looked to her, with a sadness and shame in his eyes. That was the day Knight's Ridge realized who Ray Cataldo really was.

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On the other side of town, Nick and Owen made their way to Physical Phil's house. They looked tired, after being up all night, but the only thing keeping them up was their worry for Eddie.

"You ready for this?" Nick asked as they approached the door.

"You might want to do the talking," Owen responded, to which Nick nodded.

Inside, Phil was making his way to the couch with a cup of coffee and plate.

"Morning, guys! Pretty early for a drop by, want some eggs? There's plenty since Eddie's not here for breakfast." He said, lifting his plate to show what they'd be missing.

"Phil, we have some bad news."

"Must be bad news, you never just call me Phil." His smile disappeared and he placed his plates on the coffee table.

"What goes on?"

"It's about Eddie," Nick started, not sure how to continue. "We found him last night, he got beat up pretty badly. He's in the hospital." Phil stood in a state of surprise for a moment.

"He's going to be ok, right?"

"Yeah, well, probably. We don't know. He hasn't woken up yet. They're not really sure when that'll happen." Phil took in the information; he'd been living with Eddie for years, it was typical of him not to come home after a night at the bar, but he never expected this.

"I need to see him," was his response. He made his way to the front door, still decked out in pajamas and a robe, and went to turn the handle. Owen and Nick watched the display, as Phil's hand started to shake and he retreated.

"Yeah, that would have been too easy." He said, mostly to himself. He went back over to the couch and they all sat down.

"So do we know what happened?"

"Yeah, Sully's security camera picked it up," Owen offered. "It's all on tape."

"…And?" Owen and Nick exchanged glances of mutual anger.

"Big Cat."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Well, not so much him, as much as his cronies, but he was obviously the ringleader."

"I'll kill him." Phil responded.

"You'll have to break into Knight's Ridge Police Department to accomplish that, then." Nick said.

"They arrested him?"

"Probably by now. Hannah saw the video, called it in herself."

"So what are we talking here? Is he going to jail like, full-time?"

"Who knows, he only threw a couple punches. But if Eddie doesn't….well, we'll just see what happens." Owen responded quietly.

"Hey, I think I'm going to head back to the hospital. He shouldn't be alone, and visitor hours start in a couple hours," Nick said, standing up.

"You should get some sleep, Nicky."

"I'm too awake to sleep."

"What about your meeting this morning?"

"Damn, I forgot. I guess I'll have to reschedule."

"Maybe you should go. It'd be great to have a job waiting for Eddie when he's better." Nick smiled at Owen's optimism, knowing it'd probably be awhile before Eddie could get back to work. He checked his watch.

"Yeah, it starts in twenty minutes. I'll meet you at the hospital after?"

"Sounds like a plan. Knock 'em dead, Nick. Wait, that line doesn't really seem appropriate at the moment."

"I know what you mean."

"Good luck, Nick," Phil responded, and Nick was out the door.

"I've got to take care of something, myself." Owen said, getting up. "You going to be all right here?"

"When aren't I?" Phil said, with a half smile.

"He's going to be fine, Phil. Don't worry."

"Hard not to worry when you can't see it with your own eyes." Owen nodded sympathetically and left Phil to face his fears.

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Janet sat in Hannah's kitchen with a cup of coffee warming her hands.

"Top up?" Hannah came with the coffee pot.

"Thanks." Janet looked down at her cup, and Hannah watched her friend as she poured.

"He'll be all right, Janet."

"I know. Everyone keeps saying that and I believe it, I do. But I can't help but picture him lying in the hospital all broken up like that."

"Who's in the hospital?" Sam appeared in the kitchen, dressed for the day, after Hannah told him it was safe to come downstairs. "What's going on, mom? Where's Ray?"

"Sweetie, something bad happened. And it looks like it was Ray's fault."

"It must have been really bad if the cops took him away," he said this and Hannah was about to ask how he knew, "I watched from my window." He said before she could form the words.

"Well, Ray won't be around here anymore, Sam. I'm sorry this happened so quickly and I know it's confusing, but it's the right thing for now." Sam looked to Janet, who just wiped away a tear.

"It's Eddie, isn't it?" Sam said, realizing the severity of the situation. "He's in the hospital. And Ray put him there." Hannah exhaled, for once wishing her son wasn't as smart as he was.

"Yeah," she said quietly. Sam went over to Janet and put his hand on hers. She looked to him, connecting eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Janet."

"Thanks, Sam."

"Can I see him?" Sam looked to his mother.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? I like Eddie, I just want to help, tell him I hope he feels better."

"That's kind of you. You can see him when he gets better, but right now you can't really talk to him."

"Oh," he looked down. "Well, will you tell him I'm thinking about him when you see him, Janet?"

"Sure, buddy. I'll tell him." She nodded and Sam left the room.

"I should go see him, visiting hours will start soon. Someone should be with him."

"I'll drive you if you want?"

"That's ok, you should talk to Sam." They hugged each other.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do," Hannah said.

"I will, thanks."

"And call as soon as he wakes up." Janet smiled, hoping she would be able to make that call sooner, rather than later.


	5. Chapter 5

Broken.

Scene Five.

A/N: Let me know if you want me to wrap this up soon, or keep it rolling a little longer. Thanks for the reviews!!

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Owen pulled up to a random house and looked out his window. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment, he popped back to reality and opened the door. He walked past a sign that said "Ray Cataldo Landscaping" and he shook his head. Looking ahead, he saw Ikey with a rake in the yard.

"Ikey," Owen said loudly, louder than he anticipated his voice would carry. Ikey turned around and couldn't help but smile. He caught himself and returned to a normal look, leaning on his rake.

"Owen, what goes on?"

"I wanted to tell you, in case you hadn't heard already."

"Heard what?"

"Eddie's in the hospital. Ray, _your boss_, put him there. I just thought you should know." He turned to leave, but Ikey's voice stopped him. He didn't ask about Eddie, but instead, why Owen had come.

"Why are you telling me this, Owe?" Owen stopped short and paused to think.

"Ya know, seeing Eddie like that, all beat up, bleeding in an alley, it shook me. Few things shake me in this world, Ikey. What you did? That shook me. It might be unforgivable. But someone said to me this was bigger than all that."

"It's bad, isn't it? You wouldn't be here if it wasn't bad."

"It's not good, I'll tell you that. We might need you for this one." With that, Owen got back in his car and drove off, leaving Ikey in the yard. He looked to the sign stuck in the ground and kicked it over, as he made his way to his car.

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"We heard about your business partner," said Mr. Thomas, the owner of a coffeeshop Best Friend Windows was trying to snag for a job.

"News travels fast," Nick responded.

"Sorry to hear about that, hope he's all right."

"I appreciate that."

"This will sound terrible, but on a completely selfish level, I've got to ask: why should I hire you, if half your workforce is out of commission."

"That's a good question, Mr. Thomas," Nick paused. "A really good question. So good in fact, I don't have an answer for you. The truth is, we'll get it done. One way or another, we can make it happen."

"I'm sure the two of you could—hence the _we_, but it's just you for a while, are you going to be a one-man-band or what?"

"Looks that way. But I can assure you, my partner never gives up, so he'll be on the job as soon as he can."

"I'm sure he will," he gave Nick a smile and a nod. "But from a business perspective, I just don't think I can sign on for this."

"When do you need the windows replaced by?"

"I want them before the spring. I figure, new season, new windows."

"I can make that happen. I have a lot of… silent partners. We can get it done on time and on budget."

"It's not exactly a convincing case."

"Ok then, on time, on budget, or your money back. Guaranteed."

"Now we're talking."

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"Phil…" Pizza Girl sat in Physical Phil's living room, watching him stare at nothing in particular. "Phil!" That shook him out of his reverie.

"Yeah?"

"What's in that head of yours?"

"A lot of thoughts. Kind of swirling around."

"You want to see him, I know. This must be hard for you."

"All these years, I've never wanted to get out of here more than I do right now."

"Then do it." He smiled toward her.

"You know it's not that easy."

"You've done it before."

"And look how that turned out?"

"The car won't break down this time. We can go from here, straight to the hospital, up the elevator, and donezo."

"That simple, huh?" He laughed.

"You can keep your eyes closed?"

"I don't think I can."

"When your parents used to visit every year, who would help you out with the luggage and everything to keep them in the dark?"

"Eddie."

"And when you run out of beer, who picks up a case before you even realize you were almost out?"

"Eddie."

"And when no one else is around and you start feeling lonely, who keeps you company?"

"Yeah, ok, I get what you're doing."

"I don't think you do. He's your best friend. He does things for you that you can't. Maybe you should do the same for him?"

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"Hey Hannah," Nick greeted her as he was on his way back from the coffeeshop. She was in front of the grocery store, holding a full bag.

"Nick, hey. How are you?"

"Ok. Well, considering."

"You have that look on your face."

"What look? I have a look?"

"Yeah, it's that, I have good news, but don't want to say anything look."

"Wow, I can convey all that in a look?"

"You got the same one when you aced Mrs. Maier's English mid-term and I nearly flunked it junior year."

"You remember that?"

"Of course I do, it's the worst grade I ever got," she laughed. "So what's up?"

"I just nailed down a job for Best Friend Windows. Over at the coffeshop. "

"That's great!"

"Yeah, if only my best friend was actually able to celebrate with me." Hannah turned more serious.

"It's a good thing, you getting the job. It'll be good news for when Eddie wakes up."

"There's still no word on it, yet. I don't exactly have Owen's optimism. I don't really know what to think."

"Nick, it's been less than twelve hours. Just give it some more time. The whole town is pulling for him."

"So they've all heard by now, huh?"

"The news spread like wildfire. I guess it wouldn't have been kept a secret for long, with half my block seeing Ray taken away in handcuffs."

"I'm really sorry, Hannah."

"Don't be."

"No, I am. I wish it weren't true. I wish none of this happened."

"Well, at least I know what kind of man Ray is now. If you can even call him a man," she looked down with some regret, but Nick recognized this and changed the subject.

"Do you need help with those?" Pointing to the groceries.

"Oh, no, it's all right. I was going kind of stir crazy, so I thought I'd cook for people. Come by later, I'll save some for you."

"That'd be great. Only if there's enough."

"There's always enough for you, Nick. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Hannah." And they parted ways, Nick looking back and smiling in her direction as she walked away.

00000000000000000

Janet was sitting by Eddie's bed, leaning over him. The nurse had told her to just talk to him like normal, but the situation was anything but. Instead, she sat with his hand in hers, and she watched him breath. The doctor entered, holding up the chart, which made Janet stand.

"Dr. Stevenson, how is he? I didn't get much information last night."

"Hi there," he said sympathetically. "Why don't you take a seat."

"That's never a good sign."

"There's a few things I'd like to discuss with you. He has several broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a few broken fingers," he explained.

"Oh god."

"Those are the minor issues," Janet looked up surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"We're concerned about his head trauma. We may need to get him back into surgery if he isn't responsive in the next few hours."

"But you said it could be up to a week or more before he woke up, why the need for another surgery?"

"Another CT scan showed some inflammation. We'd like to keep an eye on him, run some more tests, and if it doesn't get any better, it'll have to be surgery. We'll take good care of him."

A few moments later, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Ikey…"

Janet was surprised to see him. The doctor stood up and moved to leave.

"We'll let you know about the tests. Just stay positive. If he wakes up in the next twelve hours, we'll be homefree." He nodded to Ikey, who responded with a quick smile. His eyes moved to Eddie and he looked surprised.

"Owen said it was bad, but geez."

"Owen told you to come?"

"Not exactly, but he let me know what's the what."

Though Janet didn't agree with what he had done, she never treated Ikey differently, something he had come to appreciate more than she'd know.

"How's he doing?" He asked softly.

"That has yet to be seen," Janet started and sighed. "They might need to do another surgery. We'll know more later." He nodded, keeping his eyes on his friend.

"Will you stay with him for a minute? I should call Nick and let him know what's going on."

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks," as Janet headed for the door, Ikey took a seat next to the bed.

"Hey man," he said quietly. "It's been a long time. You haven't talked to me in a while, so I guess this is like any other situation, you… not talking to me. Sorry, bad joke." He paused and put his head in his hands. "There's so much to say, I don't even know how to say it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything that happened last year and I'm sorry you're going through this now. You need to get better, Eddie. We're all pulling for you and the guys, they need you. I need you. Even though we haven't talked in ages and you probably hate me, you're still my friend. I might not be yours, but you're mine and I need you around. Just knowing you're around makes everything a lot better."

At that moment, Eddie's little finger moved. It caught Ikey's eye and he looked up.

"Eddie?" The finger moved again, but his eyes weren't opening.

"If you can hear me, move your finger." There was nothing. "Come on." Again, no movement. Janet walked in the room and Ikey jumped up.

"His finger moved!" He said, excitedly. Janet looked to her boyfriend and called out for a nurse. She hurried in and they explained what happened, but she replied,

"It happens sometimes, in coma patients. A slight movement. I'm afraid it doesn't mean anything." She walked out, leaving a crestfallen Ikey and Janet in her wake.

"It does mean something, Janet," Ikey responded. "I think he heard me. You should talk to him. He's in there, listening." A tear fell down Janet's cheek.

"Thanks, Ikey."

"Can you do me a favor? Don't tell the guys I was here."

"Why not?"

"It's complicated. But hey, let me know what happens as it happens."

"I'll keep you updated."

"Have a little faith. It's going to work out." Ikey left the room and Janet went back to her position by her man, finally ready to let the words flow.


	6. Chapter 6

Broken

Scene Six.

Nick walked into the kitchen and was greeted by The Commander at the table, reading the newspaper.

"Nicky, how's Eddie?"

"Not really sure yet, just got a call from Janet, the next twelve hours are crucial. Where's Ronnie?"

"Upstairs."

"Ronnie!"

"What's all the shouting for?"

"I've got a favor to ask," Nick responded to his father.

"Does it involve manual labor?"

"Maybe…" Ronnie came into the kitchen in a hurry.

"What is it, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just need to talk to you guys."

"I didn't know I was involved with the favor," The Commander said.

"Hey, hey, it's not that bad. It's a good thing, actually. So I got the coffeeshop gig for Best Friend Windows."

"Way to go, big brother." Ronnie said. "What does that have to do with me?"

"I kind of need your help."

"How much help are we talking here?"

"Some installation, maybe some backup with the paperwork, ordering…"

"So, pretty much everything. Or at least, Eddie's half of everything."

"Not everything, just some things. Like, dad can do the paperwork since he has a bad back. You can help me with the labor issue, I'm willing to pay you at least--"

"I'll do it, Nick. Don't worry about it."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, count me in, too," The Commander said and went back to reading his paper.

"It's that easy. I don't even have to do any persuading?"

Ronnie was over at the fridge, picking out a snack.

"Sandwich or burrito?" He looked to Nick.

"Seriously, what's this about?" He looked confused, but his father spoke up.

"Nick, your business partner, your best friend, is unconscious in the hospital. If you need help with the shop, we're there for you. Right, Ronnie?"

"Definitely, yeah. That's what family's for," Ronnie settled on a cookie and walked out of the kitchen, slapping his brother on the back, "Glad you got the job."

"I really missed this," Nick said, mostly to himself.

"Missed what?"

"Family."

"We've always been here, you just had to look around."

00000000000

With her hand on his, Janet was struggling to find the right words to say.

"I know you're in there," she choked out. "So I'm going to talk to you like you were sitting in my living room, ok? When you come out of this, boy howdy, you're getting a welcome back party. I'm talking balloons, streamers, the whole nine yards. I'll cook your favorites and we'll have all the guys over." She paused, realizing she wanted to say something more substantial.

"I've been thinking about us, ya know you and me--together. I like it. Not like I have much to compare it to, but I think it's going really well. It's easy, ya know? And I'm pretty sure that's the way it should be. I used to look at you from across the room and think how hard it would be to even muster up the courage to talk to you, but now? Things are different. I wish I'd known it was this easy, I would have tried to snag you years ago. What I'm trying to say, in a really roundabout, blabbering kind of way, is that… I love you, Eddie. This proves it. I just, can't bear being in this world without you. You need to wake up. You need to get better, because we were on the right track. The slow-moving, totally falling for each other track, and I want to be back there."

She lowered her head and put her hands to her forehead. Letting out a long breath, she was disrupted by the high pitched squeal of one of Eddie's monitors. Looking quickly over to the heart monitor, the steady beat suddenly fell flat. The nurses rushed into the room and it was like a whirlwind. Medical jargon was thrown around and Janet was pushed to the side. The doctor rushed in, throwing down a chart and reaching over to Eddie.

"What's happening?" Janet whispered, but no one responded. They started to wheel the bed out of the room. Janet spoke up louder this time, "What's happening?" The doctor turned to her,

"We need to get him into surgery. This was to be expected; there's no other choice." Janet followed the doctor into the hallway and to some double doors. "We'll keep you updated." And with that, Eddie's bed was pushed through the doors and with a final swing, they shut. "Please don't die." Janet whispered to herself, looking completely disconsolate.

"Janet?" She saw Nick come walking up behind her as she turned, tears falling.

"What is it?" He said hurriedly, noting her demeanor.

"The monitors just went berserk. They all came in and took him away. They took him away." Nick hugged her, looking in the direction of the double doors. He fought the urge to run through them, but the red "No Entry" sign dissuaded him.

"This can't be happening," she stated in a muffled voice, her head buried in Nick's chest.

"It'll be ok," he responded, not quite believing it himself.

00000000000000000

A phone call later, Owen was opening the door to Physical Phil's house. He saw him and Pizza Girl sitting in the same position as earlier that day.

"Come on, we're going to the hospital," Owen said resolutely.

"Wish I could," Phil said in a deadpan voice, staring out to his friend.

"They took him into another surgery. This just got to a whole new level of serious, Phil."

"You don't think I know that?" He rose to his feet. "I want to do this, and I almost have, all day long. I get to the door, I get to the porch, and then I'm back on the couch. I just can't go through with it, Owen."

"In all honesty, you can do your part sitting right here just fine, but the rest of us are going to be at the hospital. Me, Nick, Janet… Eddie. We're all there, trying to get through this together. We've never judged you for what you do, and we certainly won't start now, but the fact is, we need each other." He paused and they looked at each other. "Are you in, or out?" After a beat, he responded.

"I'm out." Owen turned to leave. "I mean, I'll go out! I'm in to go out. Let's go." He and Pizza Girl stood up simultaneously and they headed for the door. Phil made it to the porch and started to wobble. Pizza Girl leaned in, holding his hand,

"Just close your eyes, I'll guide you," she smiled. They made their way up the path and to Owen's car. By the time they were settled in, Phil opened his eyes with a smile.

"Not too bad, buddy," Owen said.

"Yeah, not too bad at all," Phil said.

"We just need to make one stop," Owen admitted and drove off, making Phil shift in his seat.

"What? Where?"

"We need to pick someone up."

000000000

"I brought food," Hannah set down a piece of Tupperware on the table where Nick and Janet sat in the waiting room.

"Thanks, Hannah." Janet said as she gave her friend a hug. Hannah sat next to her.

"You have to eat, have you been home at all today?" Hannah noticed Janet looked the same as when she saw her earlier that morning.

"I haven't had a chance to leave yet, I wanted to stick around, in case Eddie woke up." Instead of saying something, Hannah just wrapped her arm around Janet and the three of them just sat there, waiting. A moment later, Owen appeared, with three people following close behind. Nick got up and gave his friend a hug and noticed who came along. He didn't know who he was more surprised to see, Physical Phil, or Ikey.

"I'm glad you're here," Nick said to Phil, shaking his hand and pulling him into a hug. He turned to Ikey, who sulked in the back of the group, trying to go unnoticed. Nick turned to him.

"You too, Ikey," and took him into a hug. They all sat down, facing each other, sitting in silence.

"Favorite Eddie story. One from yesteryear or of new, go," Pizza Girl spoke from beside Physical Phil. Everyone looked to her, "What? We need to break the silence. The very _awkward_ kind of silence. I'll go first if that'll help." No one objected, so she continued.

"H'mm… ok, oh! Yeah, ok I got one. I was delivering a pizza over on Broad Street, it was… spinach and feta house. Anyway, I'm getting out of the car, put the pizza on the roof, and these two kids on skateboards rush by me and steal the pie. Two houses down, right when they think they got away with it and I'm already chalking it up to a loss, Eddie's in the front yard with the landscaping business and he snatches the pizza back. He brings the kids over by their collars and makes them apologize to me." The group laughs at the image and nod their heads.

"All right, I've got one, one of many, but you know, for the purposes of the exercise," it was Owen this time. "It's a little less heroic, but funny anyway. It's senior year, Mr. McKay's chemistry class, and Eddie's chatting up Lizzie Smith. He's convincing her that he's a chemistry genius and that he has the periodic table memorized. She believes it, don't ask me why, and he's so busy flirting with her, he mixes up the chemicals and it results in this huge puff of smoke. He lost two eyebrows for a month, a date, and his dignity that day." The group shared another laugh, each thinking of their own stories. But before someone could explain another one, Hannah stood up.

"What are you doing here?" Everyone turned around to see Ray Cataldo, looking very lost indeed.


	7. Chapter 7

"What are you doing here, Ray?"

"I came to apologize, I didn't think you'd be here," he responded to Hannah. Nick stood up and walked over to Big Cat.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Nick, man, look, I'm just coming to tell Eddie I'm sorry."

"Well, you can't do that right now, because he's in surgery. And even if he wasn't, he's been unconscious thanks to you. So unless you want to join him, I'd clear out." Ray started to back up.

"I've had some time to think, things got out of hand, I realize I was wrong," he looked to Hannah. "I'm sorry."

"You had time to think? You've had less than 24 hours in a jail cell, Ray. I doubt you've had enough time to turn your life around. You're still the same person you were last night, the same person you were twenty years ago," Nick responded.

"I wanted to make amends," he said. "I guess it's a bad time."

"Amends? Are you kidding me? Is that what your lawyer told you to do?"

"No, he actually advised me not to come."

"Well," Owen said, standing, "you should have listened to him." Ray nodded, making a start to walk away.

"At least tell me if he's going to be all right?" He spoke up.

"Why do you care, Big Cat?"

"I care, all right?" He yelled angrily.

"Woah, watch that temper. Don't want to add aggravated assault to that growing list of offenses," Nick said.

"I never meant for this to happen, I didn't plan for--."

"Really? You didn't plan to get your friends to wait for Eddie outside Sully's, bring a crowbar, and beat him within inches of his life?"

"That's enough," Hannah said, stepping between Nick and Ray. "Don't come around here, Ray. I mean it, you need to leave."

"Hannah Jane, please let me talk to you." She sighed in response. "You owe me that." She looked taken aback.

"I _owe _you that? No, Ray, I don't owe you anything. What we had? It's gone, dead in the water. If I never see you again, it'll be too soon." With that he walked away defeated, leaving the group in a state of awkward silence again. Nick walked away from the scene toward the vending room. A beat later, Hannah followed him.

Nick slammed his fist against the vending machine, Hannah came up behind him and offered a dollar.

"Need a buck?" She asked gently.

"It ate my money already," he shook the machine and kept his hands on it and looked over to Hannah.

"Sorry he came here," she said.

"It's not your fault, Hannah." They stood in silence for a moment.

"I got a job offer. In California."

"Are you going to take it?"

"No."

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"A few days ago, I thought I would take the job. Things here, they were getting too complicated. The Commander's sick. The business isn't doing as well as I thought it would. You're with Ray. Sorry, _were_ with Ray."

"Nick Garret, if you run away from this, I'll never forgive you." He looked up to her.

"I said I wasn't going to take it."

"And I hope you don't. You can't run away from life, Nick. Things change, just look at me and Ray. Your dad's going to be ok. The business is going to be ok. Eddie's going to be ok. You need some faith."

"All my faith died ten years ago," he started to walk away, but Hannah tugged his arm.

"A day like today should prove we need you here. We're a family."

"A family that keeps getting broken. Just when I think things are going to work out, everything changes."

"Without you holding us together, there's no hope for any of us." They were inches apart, but as quickly as the moment had come it was gone as Owen came around the corner.

"Guys, he's out of surgery." They glanced at each other and hurried behind Owen back to the waiting room, where Janet was talking to the doctor. The doctor shook her hand and she turned around with a smile.

"He's awake," she grinned. Everyone celebrated, Hannah pulled her best friend into a hug and Nick embraced Owen. Phil and Ikey shook hands and smiles were all around.

"So surgery's all good, he's all good?" Ikey asked over the group.

"They need to keep him here for a bit, but yeah, he's groggy and tired, but awake. We're in the clear."

"Go on, Janet. Go see him." Nick touched her arm gently. "Tell him we're all out here." She exhaled with relife and hurried along the corridor to his room. She peeked her head in the doorway and saw him in the bed.

She watched him for a moment before he realized he wasn't alone. His head turned slightly and he saw her from the corner of his bruised eye. He smiled. A smile she would never forget.

"Hey you," she said in shaky voice.

"Hey," he croaked out in a hoarse whisper. She walked up to him and kissed his forehead.

"I missed you," she was on the edge of tears. He looked up to her, his brow furrowing.

"Who are you?"

Janet stepped back and her world stopped.

"Eddie, it's me," she smiled. "Janet." He stared up blankly at her, recognizing the smile she had seen before to be an awkward one.

"I—I'm sorry. I don't know you." She brought her hand to her mouth and let out a quick sob.

"Eddie, come on. I'm your girlfriend. Why don't you remember?" At that moment, Nick came in with a smile.

"Hey man! You gave us a scare!" He said, going in for a hug with his best friend. Eddie looked confused again and Nick noticed Janet's horrified gaze.

"What goes on?" He said concerned. Janet couldn't form the words. Eddie was about to speak when the rest of the group entered the room, equipped with balloons and flowers. They all murmured well wishes and had grins plastered on their faces. Eddie seemed overwhelmed, he sat there, with Nick and Janet staring at him while the rest seemed so happy to see him. The noise quieted down and they all looked to him.

"Who are you people?" He asked, and in that simple question, crushed everyone's spirit.


	8. Chapter 8

Broken.

Scene Eight.

A/N: I know that last scene took a predictable turn, but I wanted to keep it going for a bit. So that was what I'd throw in for the season finale and here comes the season premiere…

000000

Janet sat in an empty corridor of the hospital, staring at the pale cream wall. In less than 48 hours her life had changed. She told the man she loved how she felt, knowing he couldn't hear her, but thinking he would at least remember her when he woke up. Now she was left heart broken on a hospital floor, wishing more than anything to get her life back.

Hannah came over and slid against the wall to be next to her. She looked at her crestfallen friend and held her hand. Up the hall, the men sat in the waiting room, heads in hands, trying to get over the shock of what just transpired.

And in a large, empty room, Eddie Latekka sat in a bed, bruised and battered, listening to a doctor explain what was happening to him. He couldn't hide his shock or frustration with the look on his face. Leaving the room, the doctor headed to the waiting room. He went straight to Nick, pointing him out as a ringleader of sorts.

"The best thing you can do is remind him of his past. Explain who everyone is, slowly, but repeatedly. There's potential this is temporary. The main thing is to stay positive."

"Stay positive? You've been saying that from the beginning and it's been nothing but a rollercoaster of emotion and heartbreak."

"These things aren't easy."

"Yeah, I get that this is a difficult situation, thanks for the insight. It's really perceptive."

"Come on, Nick. Don't do this," Owen voiced.

"You need to see this as a positive. Your friend easily could have been killed. Be thankful for the fact he's alive, there are a lot of people in this hospital tonight that aren't so lucky." After pause, Nick responded.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I just don't know how to handle this."

"It's to be expected. You should see him now, because as frustrated as you are about this, he's facing an uphill battle himself." The doctor left them to their own devices.

"Go on, Nicky, talk to him," Owen said.

"Why me?"

"You know him best."

"As happy as I am to be back in all of your lives, the truth is, I don't know about his last ten years."

"But you know the last one. And you know who he is. You've got a thing with words, Nick. That's all he has to go on right now." Nick looked to his friends and started toward Eddie's room. As he entered, he saw Eddie struggling to get up.

"Woah, woah, what goes on, buddy?" Nick hurried over, trying to coax him back into bed.

"I need to get out of here," he said panicked.

"No, no… you need to stay and rest. You just got out of surgery," Nick said.

"I know, I know, I just can't breath, this room is too claustrophobic or something. I can't be here right now," he pleaded back, standing up, but collapsing back on the bed immediately in pain. "Ok, that was a bad plan."

"Yeah, a broken rib or two might make the escape a challenging one." Nick helped him lay back down.

"This isn't going to be easy, huh?" Eddie asked as Nick sat in the chair next to the bed.

"I'm sure you'll be healed up in no time."

"I meant the whole catching up on the last 30 years. Or wait, how old am I?"

"29. Just last month."

"And who are you?"

"Nick."

"Right, Nick. Doesn't sound familiar," he looked discontented by that fact.

"We go way back. You'll remember, eventually."

"So uh, want to work this as a Q and A type thing or what?" Eddie asked.

"Sure, we could do that."

"Let's start with why I'm here. I'm thinking not a car accident."

"What tipped you off?"

"The knuckles. There was definitely a fight. Tell me I was the good guy?"

"Yeah, you were. It's a long story, dating back to years of frustration against the town's bully. We'll go ahead and call him Big Cat. Couple weeks ago he came by our business and tried to rile you up. You took a swing at his buddy and then they came for retribution a couple nights ago."

"So I'm not exactly the superhero in that rendition," Eddie responded.

"I don't know what Big Cat said to you at the shop, but it most likely warranted the response. Whatever went down between you two then, you didn't deserve this."

"So you said there's a business, our business?"

"Yeah… Best Friend Windows," Nick said it, gesturing with his hands with each word to give them resonance.

"So you and me, we're long time friends, huh?"

"There was a bit of a gap in the relationship, but yeah, you've always been my best friend."

"I think there's another story there, but I've got to ask another question before we delve into that. Who's Janet?" Nick smiled at Eddie's question. "What's the story there?"

"Oh, you'll like this." As Nick started to describe Eddie's recent relationship, the subject of the story stood up in the hallway.

"What's the plan?" Hannah asked Janet.

"The plan? The plan is to get over it."

"What do you mean?" Hannah said, standing next to her best friend.

"It's a hard blow, but nothing we can't get over. I'm going in there, I'll remind Eddie who he is, and we'll get through this. All I asked for was to get him back and for him to be ok. This is a slightly different version of ok, but he's alive. He's awake. And I'm not going to mope around about it."

"That's great, Janet. That's a really good way of looking at this."

"Now if only I believed it." She sighed.

She made her way to Eddie's room. Standing outside it, not quite ready to go in, she listened as Nick wrapped up what she surmised to be the story of Eddie and Janet.

"So she's definitely been the best thing to happen to you in oh, say, ever," Nick said.

"She sounds great. Better than great. I just wish I could remember her. Don't get me wrong, man, that was a good run down of our relationship, I'm sure. Just, ya know, it'd be nice to have a little more insight."

"I can help with that," Janet said, making her presence in the doorway known.

"Yeah," Nick said, looking between them. "Why don't you take over from here?"

"I think I can pick up where you left off," she smiled and took a place beside Eddie's bed. Nick left the room, but before he did, he turned to his friend.

"You're going to be all right, Eddie. Because whether you know it or not, you're a fighter--always have been."

"Looks like that's what got me into this situation," he responded dryly.

"Yeah, maybe. But it'll be what gets you through it, too." Eddie nodded in response and Nick left him and Janet to discuss their life. To explain to Eddie what they've been through the last few months.

"Well it all started with this talking raccoon," she began, prompting a smile from Eddie.

"Seriously?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah. Ralphie was his name."

They talked for hours, with Eddie doing most of the listening. Her eyes lit up with every story and he could tell their relationship was something real. And he started to fall in love with Janet, all over again.


End file.
